The Unconvinced Winner

[Boggles]

This is one of my favourite customer tales.

A lot of our customers come in and and over the plastic wallet with their lotto playslip and old ticket in. We check the old ticket and then put the new one on for the upcoming draws. They normally joke at the time tht they won;t have won anything.

Last september, on a Thursday morning, I was alone in the shop when a regular came in and gave me her wallet and said "check that, throw it away and a new one please"

I put the new one on, asked her for the money and while she was counting checked the old ticket on the terminal.

Me: Oh.
Her: Oh what?
Me: You've won but I can't pay it out.
Her: Yeah, right! very funny. I've won but can't have it.
Me: well, yes. I've got a £200 shop limit. Above that you have to go to the min post office and they'll print you a check. Hang on a second, I'll check how much it is for.
Her: Very funny. Is this some sort of wind up then.
Me (slightly stunned): Actually you've managed to get five and the bonus. You've won just over £117,000.
Her: B*ll*cks
Me: No, I'm being serious.

I then explained to her how to claim the prize and sent her on her way.

Five minutes later she came back in. She had been sat outside in her car the whole time.

Her: Can you just check again for me please?
I checked and confirmed she had won. Off he went again.

A few minutes later she was back.

Her: Can you just say that number for me again please.
Me: On hundred and seventeen thousand, four hundred and thirty two pounds and fifty six pence.
Her: Oh.

Off she went.

A few minutes later.

Her: Are you sure this isn't a wind up? You haven't got Jeremy Beadle* hiding in the cupboard have you?
Me: I'm positive.

Off she went.

Over the space of an hour she came in 7 times and refused to believe me until i took her mobile phone and rang her husband to explain to him what they had won. She then drove off and I thought no more of it.

Two weeks later she walked in, put a carrier bag down on the counter and walked out. I opened it to find a bottle of champagne and a check for £1174.32 payable to me.

I love the expression on peoples' faces when you tell them they have won.


*If you haven't heard of Jeremy Beadle, he did the UK version of Candid Camera style wind up shows.

[Bright_Star]

I've always told the sales people at Karns when cashing in my scratch-offs that if I ever win a HUGE amount of money that I'm going to give them some. People think I'm being funny when I say this but I'm being serious here. I ever win huge in the lottery then after I take care of business (paying off bills, buying a new car, etc...lol) then I'm going to spread the wealth around. Go up to someone in the store & give them a thousand bucks or so & watch their reaction.

[sms001]

Two weeks later she walked in, put a carrier bag down on the counter and walked out. I opened it to find a bottle of champagne and a check for £1174.32 payable to me.

I've always told the sales people at Karns when cashing in my scratch-offs that if I ever win a HUGE amount of money that I'm going to give them some.

It would be nice to share, and I think I would too. But when customers would offer me a take on their winnings, I would respectfully decline. I'd tell them "Hey - I didn't share any of the risk, I don't need any of the profit. Donate to something in my name, or toast me at your celebration dinner."

There were other employees though, who nearly fought for the chance to ring some of the more compulsive gamblers up, just to get a chance to cash in if they got lucky. Maybe that kind of predation is what put me off. Plus, ninety percent of the "winners" haven't really won anything - they've just slowed down the loss rate a tad

[Boggles]

We have sold millions of pounds worth of winning tickets over the last 12 years and have had just about everyone tell us that they will see us right when they win.

She was the first person to ever share with us.

[freeatlast]

Right before Christmas (just before quitting at the discount tobacco store) I sold a scratch-off ticket that won $20,000. The customer bought it along with 2 other tickets, which were both winners ($50 and $100) and told me about the big winner. He had already won $10,000 TWICE last year, so he had to hold the ticket until the new year because of tax implications. The next weekend, when I got to work there was an envelope with my name on it pinned up next to the schedule. My winning customer had left a $50 tip for me for selling him the winner.

[sms001]

My winning customer had left a $50 tip for me for not selling him out to the IRS on the ticket purchase date.

Edited for my WAY too cynical amusement.

Glad you got a piece of the action. Congrats on the non-SC.

[JustADude]

I, seriously, am going to give away at least 20% of my net winnings if I ever hit it big in a lottery. The person who sold me the ticket and an assortment of random strangers are all going to have very good days. No charities, though.

"Why not charities?" you ask.

It's because tithing the Lady of the Unspoken Name for smiling on me means spreading the joy of an unexpected windfall to others. Charities expect regular donations of large sums of money. It's how they do their thing. That means they wouldn't count, spiritually, for the one-fifth share.

That's not to say I wouldn't make regular donations. They just wouldn't be part of my tithe.

[elysia]

its so nice to hear a story about someone winning who appears to deserve a blessing like that.